Chapter 79: Dead Land, Cursed Land.

Alchemy Slime, who carved out a unique domain as an alchemist specialized in mass production.

Every country was keeping a close watch on him.

So when news broke that Alchemy Slime had revived dead land, it spread across the world in an instant.

For most countries, dead land was not actually a serious problem.

As long as you didn’t go near it, it was an area that caused no harm.

Countries with small territories did everything they could from the start to prevent it from happening. There were almost no new cases, and they had adapted to the ones that already existed.

In countries with large territories, there were often migratory dungeons they couldn’t handle due to manpower shortages. That meant there was a lot of dead land scattered around.

It sounds like a headache, but humans are creatures who find a way to make money out of anything.

They figured out how to make effective use of this dead land.

Thanks to the fact that not even microbes could survive on this dead land, it was extremely useful as a landfill.

There was no need to worry about gas causing fires or outbreaks of infectious diseases, so it was easy to manage.

Some countries with a lot of land even accepted trash from other countries for a fee and buried it in their dead land.

It wasn’t just used for waste processing facilities; it was also used in private businesses.

Some people created cemeteries where the dead would remain forever.

Some people built tourist attractions with a haunted vibe.

Some people used it as sterilization facilities or storage warehouses.

With the exception of countries where dead land had formed in key geopolitical locations, the news that Alchemy Slime had revived dead land was not a matter of national importance.

The problem was that a vicious curse had burst out from there.

Dead land and cursed land are completely different.

Dead land does not risk worsening and does not negatively affect its surroundings.

Cursed land, on the other hand, is highly likely to worsen and negatively affects its surroundings.

Research on dead land had been conducted countless times, and there had never been any mention of a curse.

And yet, suddenly, an extremely dangerous curse bursts out.

Orders were given to research institutions in every country to come up with a theory.

Researchers racked their brains and wrote reports.

One researcher ended up facing a national leader.

“If the curse was spread wide and thin across all the dead land, there would be no way to detect it.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Now that we know it’s a curse, can we purify it?”

“There have been several attempts to purify dead land, but there has not been a single success. Most likely, unless you purify at least half the dead land all at once, it’s pointless.”

“Including underground as well?”

“Yes.”

That was no different from saying you had to dig up all the dead land, wash it, and fill it back in.

Impossible.

“What problems could arise if we just leave it alone?”

“By itself, it is extremely unlikely that any situation worse than what’s already been observed would occur. However, there have been many cases where areas surrounded by dead land turned into dead land themselves. If it’s certain that there’s a curse in the dead land, the scale of the curse could increase in proportion to the size of the dead land. The moment the dead land exceeds a certain size, its area could expand or it could transform into land that kills anything that enters.”

“You said, ‘If it’s certain there’s a curse.’ Are you saying the cause of the dead land might not be a curse?”

“There are claims that the death of the land and the curse are unrelated, and that Alchemy Slime merely discovered a curse buried in the land. Considering it was used as a landfill, it’s a very plausible possibility.”

“Are you saying Alchemy Slime lied?”

“There are claims it could have been a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding, huh. Then what method was used to revive the dead land?”

“Perhaps by injecting a massive amount of mana into the land and reconnecting its ley lines.”

At the researcher’s answer, the national leader pressed his brow.

Just thinking about the magic stones that went into that theory-one that some researchers would never give up-gave him a headache.

“I was under the impression that theory had already been debunked.”

“Sole Alchemy figured out how to extract mana from trash using <Glutton Slime>. Based on that, it’s believed Alchemy Slime has a technique for turning trash into mana.”

“So the story is that the trash in the landfill was converted into mana and injected into the ground, reviving it.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“If your theory is right, then Alchemy Slime generated more mana from a mountain of trash-trash that should have been completely drained of mana-than several top-grade magic stones combined. Do you think that’s realistic?”

If it were possible, that would be true alchemy.

Other alchemists besides Alchemy Slime wouldn’t even deserve to call themselves alchemists.

“…There is also research showing that <Slime> can use light and heat as energy.”

“In this winter, you mean?”

“…”

“It’d be more believable to say he dug into the earth and converted geothermal energy into mana.”

“Yes! That’s it! That’s definitely the method!”

The national leader let out a sigh at the excited look on the researcher’s face.

“Proceed under the assumption that it’s because of a curse.”

“…Understood.”

After listening to the researcher for a moment, the national leader asked,

“How do you think Alchemy Slime extracted the curse from the land?”

“I suspect he scattered <Slime>-which has a property of attracting curses-across all the dead land, buried them, and then condensed it all at once.”

“Like casting a net.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Is there any other way to do the same thing?”

“If you’re an S-rank Alchemist, you could definitely reproduce it.”

It’s like asking how to make good coffee and being told to bring in one of the top ten baristas in the world.

“Thank you. That’s all, you may go.”

After sending the researcher out, the national leader called for his secretary.

“Contact the World Alchemy Organization. Tell them we need to hold an urgent meeting.”

Whether or not there’s a curse in the dead land.

To be sure, I’ll need to throw out some bait.

If there’s a curse in the dead land, then the curse is the problem.

If there isn’t a curse in the dead land, then Alchemy Slime is the problem.

If Alchemy Slime can generate an unlimited supply of mana comparable to top-grade magic stones…

Then he’ll have to be strictly monitored.

***

An urgent report came flying in from Hans, and when I checked, the media was in a frenzy.

All because of the story that I revived dead land.

I didn’t think the story about me reviving dead land and extracting a curse from it would spread much.

Sure, it’s an amazing feat, but it’s not something the average person would be interested in.

Even if people know what dead land is, few know exactly where it is or what problems it causes.

Maybe if I’d already built Slime Land, it might be a hot topic, but for now I didn’t think it would get that much attention.

[America is shocked, China is panicking, and there’s a slime that made Japan kneel?]

But it’s gotten so noisy that even W-tubers who chase after national pride are swarming around it.

The reason is-

[(Real Story) World Alchemy Organization. “If you succeed in reviving ten dead lands, we’ll recognize your achievement and acknowledge Alchemy Slime as an A-rank Alchemist.”]

Because people think I’ve set foot on the path toward becoming an A-rank Alchemist.

I haven’t been contacted directly, but it was something said publicly.

I suppose you could say it’s credible.

A-rank, huh. That’s tempting.

If you compare how alchemists are treated in Korea at each rank to chefs-

F-rank is like a kitchen assistant. Forget about cooking. Unless you’re insanely talented, it’s a period where you just get used to water and dishes.

E-rank is like a cook, a period where you can barely get used to fire.

As you gradually climb up to B-rank, you start hearing, “Why is someone of your stature, who should be working globally, in a shabby place like this?”

A-rank is-

“This is stir-fried mushrooms made with poisonous mushrooms.”

“That sounds truly wonderful.”

That’s the level of trust you receive.

Products made by an A-rank Alchemist are not subject to safety inspections.

“How dare we verify the items crafted by an A-rank Alchemist-nim?” is the kind of statement you’d hear.

This is half a joke, though.

A-rank Alchemists don’t produce mass-manufactured goods.

They create only a small number of alchemy products, like master craftsmen.

Moreover, the materials they use are insanely expensive.

They only make one or two items, so you can’t just destroy them for a safety inspection.

Overseas, there are methods to inspect items without damaging them.

But in our country, we don’t have the facilities or techniques for such inspections.

In other words, the rule of 0% safety inspection for products made by A-rank Alchemists came about because we lack the ability to inspect them.

And hearing that they’re just given a free pass because of trust feels pretty good, doesn’t it?

The commission is 10%.

You might think, do I really have to give 10% to the Alchemy Center for doing nothing? But that’s not the case.

If you give 10% to the Alchemy Center, you don’t have to pay taxes.

Starting from Grade B, just trading with the Alchemy Center allows for tax savings.

It’s a bait to keep you from going to other countries.

Sure, the lower the commission, the better, but more importantly, it’s the 0% safety inspection.

Not needing to undergo safety inspections makes operating Slime Land much easier.

There’s no need to send the <Slime> produced by Mother to the Alchemy Center for safety inspection and then get them back.

The sense of reassurance felt by people visiting Slime Land will also be greatly reinforced.

However.

I don’t know how to revive dead land, do I?

It just happened because I ignorantly poured a ton of mana into the ground.

I could try using <Glutton Slime> and trash to attempt it.

Since Slime Land hasn’t opened yet, I could also use Mother to try under similar conditions.

Let’s say the land came back to life again after doing that.

What about the curse?

Even if the land is revived, the curse doesn’t just pop out.

It’s dead land, not cursed land.

If no curse appears, how do I explain the curse of jealousy I claimed came from the land?

Do I need to go somewhere and get a curse to keep up the excuse?

There is a solution.

I could say this land is specially cursed.

Or I could develop a technique to use even curses as an energy source.

If there’s something to worry about.

Lies become more complicated and harder to manage the more you layer them.

A lie that grows too big can explode massively if mishandled.

In this situation, where my lies have spread far and grown huge.

If I rashly add more lies, things could become unmanageably complex.

It was a lie I blurted out without thinking deeply.

Things have gotten strangely tangled.

“Hmm….”

I contacted Hans.

“Hans, what do you think is the best thing to do? Should I go around dealing with dead land to become an A-rank Alchemist?”

“I will fully support whatever choice Lime makes.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll help make sure whatever choice I make goes smoothly?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

If Hans helps, it feels like any choice I make would be fine.

Isn’t there a kind of person who’d be incredibly annoying as an enemy?

Hans gives off that vibe.

“Then I’ll choose not to do it.”

“If that’s Lime’s wish.”

The A-rank Alchemist license is tempting, but the premise itself doesn’t hold up.

I can’t go overseas.

Slimes don’t get passports issued.

I have a feeling they won’t recognize dealing with ten dead lands in Korea.

If I ask Hans to find a way to enter without a passport, I bet he’d find one, but.

Let’s drop it.

“And please make an official announcement. The claim that curses always come from dead land is a rumor. It’s true a curse appeared here, but it’s unclear if it’s because of the dead land or the trash piled up for so long. Also, I speculate that the dead land reviving wasn’t due to removing a curse but because I injected a vast amount of mana.”

The World Alchemy Organization probably freaked out over the curse story and offered me an A-rank license.

If I clarify it’s dead land, not cursed land, the license talk might fall through.

Well, there’ll be other chances to get an A-rank Alchemist license.

“Oh, and the method of securing a vast amount of mana is by using special slimes to convert trash and geothermal heat into mana. These special slimes were created by sacrificing skill levels, so they can’t be mass-produced.”

Revealing this much should be fine.

The fact that <Glutton Slime> can turn trash into mana is something knowledgeable people would already know, so it’s okay.

The [Convert] of geothermal heat will later serve as evidence to explain where I secured mana from while operating Slime Land.

Also, before countries start pestering me to sell facilities that convert geothermal heat to mana, I’ll bring up the artificial lifeforms story to block them at the source.

“Can I ask you to make the announcement?”

Rather than me wearing a Slime mask, Hans in a suit-though I’m not sure if he looks normal-would be better for making the announcement.

“Understood.”

However.

“By the way, Hans.”

“Yes, Lime. Why are you calling me?”

“Is that hair intentional?”

The purple hair is sprinkling shiny dust and twitching slightly, isn’t it?

“Yes. I really like it. What do you think?”

“I’m glad you like it. If it’s not a glitch, I have no complaints.”

It’s not the 20th century, and I have no intention of restricting hairstyles.

“But how on earth does <Wig Slime> move like that?”

Hans shouldn’t have a [Control+] skill.

“I communicated with it sincerely.”

“Oh, I see.”

***

The video of Hans stepping forward as my spokesperson spread across the world.

-Please release <Wig Slime>.

-I’ll hold my breath until <Wig Slime> is released. Inhale!

└Inhale!!

└Inhale!!!

└Cough.

-I’m in my 20s but have 10 years of hair loss. Please release <Wig Slime>.

The demand for <Wig Slime> exploded.

Humans, are you serious? You like that?